When working with soap, use a muslin bag filled with corn starch to keep the soap from sticking to the work surface and itself. Too much corn starch will leave your soaps looking powdery so use with frugal care.

Spraying tools with 91% alcohol will keep cutters and plungers from sticking.

Spraying with water will make soap dissolve. Remember how soap behaves in the shower?

Once removed from the sealed container, soap will begin evaporation and curing.

Be patient with yourself, if you want to make embeds by hand, it will take time to learn.

This is a basic recipe, created with easy to access ingredients at your local grocery.

I have written a few books and each time I start that process I see more about myself, my own journey. Each time I reflect on how I make things, or how to do something, it boils down to the individual.

I can tell you every step of what I do. I can walk you through each tiny nuance of my process, but without the desire to know the self, you will only copy me. And that is okay. However, if your goal, like mine, is to look at what you’re made of, what is inside of you, and then express THAT, it will take more than reading my work. It will take more than making soaps like mine, by your hand.

It will take some soul searching, investigating what moves you. What compels you. What you are attracted to and what inspires you.

To discover these things, I have found I needed to uncover my fears first. I named them, labeled them, and discovered the reality of those fears.

These fears still come up, even after a lifetime of observation. Now, when they raise their heads, I see them differently.

I hope this helps you to understand what I’m doing, what I’m about and aid you on your journey.

Cave of Forgetting

Bhakti Iyata 2013

I went into the cave of forgetting where my monsters live hoping you would stand guard.

I needed you to stand guard, to protect me from completely forgetting who I am. I needed you to witness my journey. My Heroines journey. I knew I would forget who I was: my strength, my power, the very courage it took to go into that cave. I was afraid to disconnect from all that I am.I went into the cave believing you would stand guard as the reminder of all that I was, all that I am.

I needed you to yell from time to time, or whisper, “I remember you. I will not forget while you face your fears.” I wanted to hear your voice tell me who I was with you. I wanted you to be bigger than the monsters I was going to face. I wanted you to be more clear, more stable, more honorable. To stand there in the light, holding the tether that kept me bound to you, giving it a tug from time to time to make sure I stayed connected. To make me remember in the cave of forgetting, who I was, to that world and to you.

In that darkness where my soul forgets who I am; where I forget so easily the second the light is no more and the darkness is all there is, I needed to be reminded that I am courageous, bold and brilliant and that I am made from light.

The pressure of the darkness was so great that my heart hurt profoundly, my chest grew tight and small, squeezing you from me and all the love with it. In that darkness, where no light exists, I craved the experience of light. I craved you.

The deeper I went, panic began to envelope me. I feared I’d never find my way back to you.

I believed the whisperings of my monsters, that I was not worth standing guard for, that I was on my own, alone with them. They were my truth in that darkness.

My monsters told me many dark things. They told me you were not strong enough to remember for both of us. They told me they would be with me forever. They told me the only thing real was fear, not love, not commitment, not honor. Not you. They told me that you did not care enough to tug on the rope. They told me you had walked away… And then, they said the thing I feared the most, that you never existed.

I wanted a simple act to remind me I was connected to the world, connect to you.

The darkness engulfed me and was my reality. My breath, my love was squeezed from my body and I believed them.

I grieved you, feeling my heart was broken forever. I embraced them, the monsters. If fear is all I have I will learn my fears. I will become the best at understanding them, mastering them and ultimately befriending them. What else is there? You are gone.

In that cave where no light exists, when I sat still and quiet, listening to my breath, the cold wrapped its arms around me. I sat still in acceptance.

Then, I felt something. A flicker in my chest. It was not a feeling for you. You had abandoned me. You let me go and I could feel your lack of presence. I sensed the flicker in my chest that reminded me of love.I let the flicker course through my body and remembered the feeling of light on my skin. I remembered what love felt like in my heart and my belly began to burn.

My skin grew brighter. I grew brighter. The monsters shielded their eyes and ran deeper into the cave. I chased them. I had to chase them as far as necessary to tame them or kill them.

I ran hard into the darkness. The farther I ran, the more they morphed into various forms confusing me until I dropped to my knees, heaving and exhausted, tears flooding my eyes and sobs wracking my body. My knees hurt from the hard rocky floor.

I heard themstir. I could see them return, begin to take shape. As they came closer many vanished like vapor, and the steam of them warmed me and kissed my skin. I felt hugged from a deeper place than I had known.

Those that were left came up like beaten dogs wanting to be tamed. The wolf-like monsters approached me with heads and tails down and put their muzzles on me. I petted them and told them they served me well.

I fed them from my hand, and they grabbed the gifts and ran off into the darkness. I could hear their teeth snapping. I knew they could tear my flesh and dig into my chest after my light, but we had made a truce.

I amplified my courage and allowed my shadows-emotions to dissipate, stood and walked in the general direction, back along the trail, where I remembered the light. I walked and walked over rocky ground, feeling the loss of the rope I thought had tied us together.

I smelled the air for a sign of you. Coldness filled my nose but not your scent.

I stumbled and fell down. When I stood I saw the dimmest of lights and moved toward it.

I got close and took a big breath and stepped into the painful light. Through squinting eyes I saw you. You had not left your post. You stood holding the limp rope with the cleanly severed end in your hand. You thought I cut it. You thought I wanted to be free of you. You were scared for me but wanted to support me on my journey the only way you knew. So you waited, holding the severed rope.

I was shocked at the clean cut end of the rope.Was it my monsters who had cut it before I tamed them? No matter they were mine to train, I hold myself accountable. I didn’t conquer them soon enough before I lost you. It was my responsibility to keep them in check, to protect my end of that rope.

My journey had nothing to do with you. You were the catalyst. You where the movie screen of my projection, and for that I am grateful. Even if you are now gone.

Why Buy Handmade?

As I stood at my workbench this morning making little toadstools I pondered why I buy handmade products…

I like being seen as a person, not being tossed into the sea of humanity and counted as a number, as insignificant. I like it when people recognize me, as me. Not because I think I’m such a special snowflake, but just A snowflake.

There is one company I buy from, follow and support, expressly because of their personal touches. Mad Oils. I am a huge fan of Mad Oils. A hand written note, or a fragrance oil sample or just a little bag of candy (as if I need that temptation) all add to my desire to buy from Mad Oils again and again. I was genuinely surprised the first time I purchased from them and it made me take a harder look at their company.

I don’t buy from Mad Oils because they are the least expensive, the fastest shipping (although that helps tremendously if its both – handmade/hand-touched and fast shipping) or because they remembered my name (which practically no one can pronounce, let-alone remember). I buy from Mad Oils because they acknowledged that my purchase mattered to them and reflected that by the thoughtful packaging. Which, just simply feels nice.

The other day, while following up on what I’m calling a “bid” for a soap job, I sent a custom box with my soap samples. I only made one box that size, not going to market them, but just offer them as gifts, I asked myself “why am I going to so much trouble for a job I might not even get?”

This is my thinking, “each encounter I have with another gives me an opportunity to create, with them, a special moment”. They invited me into their world, and as a good guest, I bring a gift. I get to fill their shipment with anything I like, just like Mad Oils does. I have no boss, or someone looking over my shoulder to say “that’s not how we systematically do things” or “that’s not professional.” I can be as creative with sending a package as my soaps.

Also, by someone purchasing from my little Soapery they have invited some of my creativity into their world, so I can take advantage of that moment and be as magical and sparkly as I want.

So far, not one person has complained about getting too many samples, soap cookies or complimentary soaps, so I will keep listening to my own creative drummer and march that beat right through to your mailbox.

In this Enchanted book I share techniques and practices how to get inspired and stay inspired, soap dough recipes and insights about the soap dough molding process.

~~~~~~~~~

This new book is an complete recipe soap book. Any of the 20 recipes can be used successfully for soap dough, but oil/butter charts, detailed note sheets, flow sheets and many more to keep you and your soaps organized. You can add to this book and make it your own.

“A Soap Recipe Book of Light & Shadow” will be available for download or arrive in your mailbox (an actual book) by Thanksgiving, 2016!

Sign up for Sorcery Soap Newsletter/Blog updates and be the first to know when this book is released.

For this situation we will employ magic. Not ancient magic, like our ancestors, but common mis-understood magic. The magic I am referring to is tenacity.

Tenacity is tricky, but to say that we overcome hitches in our giddiy-ups without it is to underestimate the power of tenacity. Staying with anything, even when it gets sticky (ah…) is to see doors that were not previously seen, let-alone, understood. These doorways open up to new worlds of imagination and creativity.

No matter the level of tenacity, some quick tips are always helpful.

Don’t over complicate this process.

1.) Use a reliable and predictable soap recipe and cover it with plastic. Air exposure will harden soap. To keep it pliable seal the soap against air exposure.

2.) Cornstarch dusting is helpful to avoid soap sticking.

3.) Soap can be touched with bare hands after 24-48 hours of full saponification. Zap-test or pH test soap if you are unsure.

There is much to learn from soap, every day, every batch and every new project.

The consistency of soap dough is important.

When I make soap to mold with fragrance oils, I can see how the fragrance oil reacts to my recipe. Some times it appears more transparent, stickier or has an odd consistency.

Some soap is ultra smooth, and those, generally, do not have fragrance in them. Do not misunderstand, this is not desire to discount fragrance oils. Of all people, I’m not that woman. I love fragrance oils.

To be clear, I am saying that I can see more deeply how the fragrance oils behave when squishing, mashing, and squeezing soap through my fingers, inasmuch as a baker can feel her bread dough. Some molding soaps have more resiliency or can be stretched and pulled, just like dough, where as others, it is simply too sticky to preform in the same way.

I see more about each batch by examining the soap in this way, than I did by just making bars and using them.

What I’m looking for:

I want to see a dough that is pliable, and doesn’t cause cracks. A soap dough that is wet enough to mush and mash, but not so much so that I have to use a lot of corn starch to avoid sticking. Too much corn starch can cause white spots of pocket corn starch.

See this video for more help:

Most of my molding soap no longer has scent added to it and each batch it better than the last.

When I make soap to mold with fragrance oils, I can see how the fragrance oil reacts to my recipe. Some times it appears more transparent, stickier or has an odd consistency.

Some soap is ultra smooth, and those, generally, do not have fragrance in them. Do not misunderstand, this is not desire to discount fragrance oils. Of all people, I’m not that woman. I love fragrance oils.

To be clear, I am saying that I can see more deeply how the fragrance oils behave when squishing, mashing, and squeezing soap through my fingers, inasmuch as a baker can feel her bread dough. Some molding soaps have more resiliency or can be stretched and pulled, just like dough, where as others, it is simply too sticky to preform in the same way.

I see more about each batch by examining the soap in this way, than I did by just making bars and using them.

What I’m looking for:

I want to see a dough that is pliable, and doesn’t cause cracks. A soap dough that is wet enough to mush and mash, but not so much so that I have to use a lot of corn starch to avoid sticking. Too much corn starch can cause white spots of pocket corn starch.

See this video for more help:

Most of my molding soap no longer has scent added to it and each batch it better than the last.